In known appliances for folding cloth-type workpieces, such as articles of laundry etc., the opening and closing of the associated clamping elements had to be effected by means of a protruding hand lever, which made operation and handling difficult. The opening of the clamping elements for withdrawal of the workpiece in the stretched condition was especially complicated, because then two hands were needed, namely one to hold the workpiece and the other to operate the lever. It was not possible to hold thicker and fine workpieces uniformly, since the possibility of precise adjustment of the clamping elements was lacking.